Newbie Here, Looking to get started.

[jdavism]

Hello everyone,

First, let me apologize in case my questions have been asked before. I tried to read up on everything on this site and the Wiki and I'm still having a little trouble connecting the dots. I'm 33 y/o and have been working for a Fortune 50 company for 15 years. I was in college when the opportunity arose for me to join this telecommunications company and never got around to finishing. Although not having a degree hasn't held me back (I'm currently director level) I've always had a desire to finish it but never did because family time and work time.

The idea of testing out into a BA degree is intriguing to me. I've always been geared toward self-study and completed many technical certifications on my own (CCNA, A+, Net+, MCSE etc) so the idea I could trim down the 4 years into something sooner and do it on my own is great.

That said, I'm still trying to get a handle on where to start. I've read all the posts and resources but what I'm trying to figure out is how to align CLEP/DSST testing to a specific degree requirement from one of the Big 3. I'm very goal oriented so I'd love to set a list of CLEP/DSST tests needed to graduate with a degree that I can print out and work towards that way I can plan a schedule, prepare materials and see my progress. Is this something I can do? Am I missing something? I've listed my goals below. I might have read TOO much which is causing me confusion, I've seen people listing FEMA courses for credits etc etc and that has me confused.

1) Achieve it as quickly as possible (I realize this is on me)
2) Easiest possible route to achieve BA first, then work on other degrees/fields afterward. (I'm up for VP eval and not having a BA will hold me back)
3) Never attend a class
4) Given the above goals are there any advantages to one Big-3 over another?

I attended a technical college 15 years ago for a year but I was told that my credits there expired so I assume I'll be starting from scratch. I looked into EC and their 10K degree but I've seen a lot of feedback here indicating that I can do it much cheaper, is it worth doing it cheaper or is the EC 10K degree more structured and does it provide the outline/course curriculum I seek?

Also, I see here that Instant Cert is affiliated with the message board, can you really use these as the sole source to passing CLEP tests?

Sorry for all the questions, again just trying to figure out where/how to start and expectations on length of time, which Big-3 to focus on, which "degree" to focus on/quickest.

I greatly appreciate any feedback.

[clep3705]

You are employed by a large corporation. Do they offer tuition reimbursement? What is the fastest depends on your budget, which is why tuition reimbursement matters.

I worked for a large corporation that offered tuition reimbursement. I asked for reimbursement for passing CLEP tests. At first they said no. Then when I pointed out that a CLEP test was 1/3 the cost of a community college course, they agreed.

[jdavism]

You are employed by a large corporation. Do they offer tuition reimbursement? What is the fastest depends on your budget, which is why tuition reimbursement matters.

I worked for a large corporation that offered tuition reimbursement. I asked for reimbursement for passing CLEP tests. At first they said no. Then when I pointed out that a CLEP test was 1/3 the cost of a community college course, they agreed.

Hi Clep,

They will indeed pay for testing, I believe I'm funded in at 8K per year I believe. Let's assume that budget is a non-issue for sake of discussion.

[rebel100]

I think TESC is going to be your best bet. They should make the best use of your computer certs, and they still don't require a capstone so you can test out of everything (for now).

I would suspect that your old credits will apply to a degree provided they are from a recognized college...there is no real expiration date in most cases. Many of my credits were 22+ years old. Can you list what you have completed for us? It will help us advise you.

Pull up the general education requirements first and set up a plan to complete them. They are basically the same across the Big 3 so your pretty safe knocking them out.

Decide on a Major and figure out what you need to finish it you will need 18-30 credits att he Upper Level (300-400) in your major. And a total of 30 credits at the UL . (I think TESC still has a few majors that only require 18 cr at the UL).

FIgure out your desired methof for rounding out the rest of the 120 credits you will need. This is usually where FEMA and whatever exams your best at come in...identify the stuff thats interesting and easy for you and just bang out credits.

The motivated can pull this off within a year....your finish time, as you stated, is entirely up to you.

Mike

[clep3705]

Lamar University is a real university in Texas with dorms and a football team. They offer online degree completion. They don't accept DSST, but have a very liberal CLEP policy. You'd have to take 10 three semester hour courses from them to get a bachelor's degree. Lamar University Academic Partnerships

Notice that they have several COSC courses that would be easy for you. Ten courses at $648/course out-of-state tution would cost your employer less than $8,000. CLEP what you can, transfer the rest from a lower cost two year college that people in these forums like so much.

[jdavism]

I think TESC is going to be your best bet. They should make the best use of your computer certs, and they still don't require a capstone so you can test out of everything (for now).

I would suspect that your old credits will apply to a degree provided they are from a recognized college...there is no real expiration date in most cases. Many of my credits were 22+ years old. Can you list what you have completed for us? It will help us advise you.

Pull up the general education requirements first and set up a plan to complete them. They are basically the same across the Big 3 so your pretty safe knocking them out.

Decide on a Major and figure out what you need to finish it you will need 18-30 credits att he Upper Level (300-400) in your major. And a total of 30 credits at the UL . (I think TESC still has a few majors that only require 18 cr at the UL).

FIgure out your desired methof for rounding out the rest of the 120 credits you will need. This is usually where FEMA and whatever exams your best at come in...identify the stuff thats interesting and easy for you and just bang out credits.

The motivated can pull this off within a year....your finish time, as you stated, is entirely up to you.

Mike

Mike,

Thanks for the info, so just so I'm clear.. I could use this CLEP - College-Level Exam Program and then take the degree requirements from their site to build my plan? For sake of example.. let's say I was going for this Thomas Edison State College: Associate in Arts

I could take the following CLEPs to meet all requirements?

ENC-101/102-CE College Composition (General) (6 crÃdits)

HUM-101/102-CE Humanities (General) (6 credits)
LIT-111/112-CE American Literature (6 credits)

SOS-101/102-CE Social Sciences and History (General) (6 credits)
PSY-101-CE Introductory Psychology (3 credits)
SOC-101-CE Introductory Sociology (3 credits)

NAS-101/102-CE Natural Sciences (General) (6 credits)
MAT-102/103-CE College Mathematics (General) (6 credits)

* I'm confused here, they only require 9 credits so, for sake of example, would I need to change this to a 3 credit CLEP or can I apply the 3 credits to "general education electives"?

If those extra three apply to general education electives then I could take:

HIS-101-CE Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648 (3 credits)
HIS-102-CE Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present (3 credits)

Then I have to do 12 free elective credits, so Ideally I'd take 12 credits that apply to something in my selected major right?

I know this sounds kind of silly, I'm just trying to make sure I line up CLEP testing to TESC course requirements if that makes any sense.

[rebel100]

Mike,

Thanks for the info, so just so I'm clear.. I could use this CLEP - College-Level Exam Program and then take the degree requirements from their site to build my plan? For sake of example.. let's say I was going for this Thomas Edison State College: Associate in Arts

I could take the following CLEPs to meet all requirements?

ENC-101/102-CE College Composition (General) (6 crÃdits)

HUM-101/102-CE Humanities (General) (6 credits)
LIT-111/112-CE American Literature (6 credits)

SOS-101/102-CE Social Sciences and History (General) (6 credits)
PSY-101-CE Introductory Psychology (3 credits)
SOC-101-CE Introductory Sociology (3 credits)

NAS-101/102-CE Natural Sciences (General) (6 credits)
MAT-102/103-CE College Mathematics (General) (6 credits)

* I'm confused here, they only require 9 credits so, for sake of example, would I need to change this to a 3 credit CLEP or can I apply the 3 credits to "general education electives"?

If those extra three apply to general education electives then I could take:

HIS-101-CE Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648 (3 credits)
HIS-102-CE Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present (3 credits)

Then I have to do 12 free elective credits, so Ideally I'd take 12 credits that apply to something in my selected major right?

I know this sounds kind of silly, I'm just trying to make sure I line up CLEP testing to TESC course requirements if that makes any sense.

Your pretty much all over it. Here is the TESC CLEP equivalency sheet, CLEP - College-Level Exam Program Here is the DSST list DANTES Note how many credits from both lists count as UL work...I know your concentrating on the AA but thats a big deal for the Bachelors later!

I would take a good look at each test and work toward your strengths. For example American Lit is very doable but most folks have to study a good bit to pass that one, and alternative is Analyzing and Interpreting Lit which is essentially reading comprehension and widely regarded as an easy 6 credits. Principles of Marketing and Principles of Management are also considered very straightforward and doable without too much study.

Yes, if you take say College Math for 6 and Biology for 6 then the "extra 3" should count towards electives. I would look through the lists and see what strikes you as doable in each category. Note that some of the DSST count at the UL. there are also TECEP and EC exams as well as Straighterline to round out your plan.....and remember that FEMA credits are free and usefull either towards free electives or as professional courses towards specific degrees like the AAS in Homeland Security/Emergency Management.

Just for comparison purposes here are the links to the Charter Oak Gen eds and test equivalencies. Charter Oak State College - General Education Requirements
Charter Oak State College - List of Exams COSC is likely cheaper in some ways...but they will require a cornerstone and a capstone its almost a wash. I looked hard at all of the Big three and almost went Excelsior but Charter Oak was the choice due to service and financial aid issues. TESC is a great choice as well...probably right for you as the upfront cost seems to be less of an issue.